How to Create a Date and Time Column in SharePoint
Dates are how SharePoint understands time. Use Date columns for review dates, expiry, deadlines, and milestones — and your library starts running on rails.
What it is
A Date column captures a date (and optionally a time) in a structured format. Unlike text, dates can be sorted chronologically, filtered by ranges (‘this month’, ‘next 30 days’), used in calculated columns (e.g. ‘expiry = created date + 365’), and consumed by Power Automate for time-based triggers (send a reminder 7 days before the date).
The classic uses are Review Date and Expiry Date. Every document with a review date can power a ‘documents due for review next month’ view, or trigger automated emails to owners. Add Created and Modified to that and your library has a full time-based dimension that powers reporting, governance, and alerts without manual intervention.
The decision between Date Only and Date and Time depends on whether the time of day matters. For most business uses (reviews, deadlines, expiries), Date Only is fine — and saves users the irritation of typing 12:00 AM into every entry. Reserve Date and Time for events that genuinely have a specific hour (meetings, scheduled publishes, time-bound approvals).
When to use this
- For Review Date, Expiry Date, Effective From, Effective To, Created Date.
- For Project Start, Project End, Milestone dates.
- For Due Date, Submission Deadline, Approval Deadline.
- Any time you need to filter by time ranges or trigger reminders.
How to do it
- Click + Add column → Date and time.
- Choose Date Only (most common) or Date and Time.
- Set a default value if useful — ‘Today’s date’ is common for Created columns.
- Make required if files need a date to function (e.g. all policies must have a Review Date).
- Save and apply conditional formatting for overdue items.
- Build views filtered by date ranges (this week, this month, next 30 days).
- Set up Power Automate reminders if dates drive action.
Best practices
- Use ISO date format wherever you can. YYYY-MM-DD sorts correctly without ambiguity.
- Pair Date with Person. ‘Documents I own that expire in the next 30 days’ is gold.
- Apply conditional formatting for overdue. Red text on dates in the past makes problems visible.
- Set defaults sparingly. ‘Today’ as a default for a Review Date is wrong — make users think.
Common mistakes
- Storing dates as text. Breaks sorting, breaks filtering, breaks reminders. Always use Date columns.
- Date and Time when Date Only would do. Forces users to enter times that don’t matter.
- No conditional formatting for overdue. Overdue items disappear into the noise.
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What is a Date and Time column in SharePoint?
A Date and Time column stores a date (and optionally a time) for each file or item. Common uses: created date, review date, expiry date, due date. It’s a structured column type, which means SharePoint can sort chronologically, filter by date ranges (‘show me everything due this month’), and trigger automation in Power Automate based on dates.
What date format does SharePoint use?
Display format depends on the regional settings of the site (DD/MM/YYYY for UK and Australian sites, MM/DD/YYYY for US sites). The underlying storage is always the same — ISO 8601 — so filters and Power Automate flows work regardless of display format. For international teams, set a clear convention in column descriptions to avoid confusion.
How do I set today’s date as the default in a SharePoint Date column?
In the column settings, under Default value, choose Today’s date. When a new file is added, the column auto-populates with the date of upload. Useful for created dates, audit timestamps, or any value where ‘now’ is the right default.
Can I trigger a notification before a SharePoint date?
Yes — using Power Automate. Build a scheduled flow that runs daily, queries items where the Date column is within X days of today, and sends a notification (email, Teams message) to the owner. This is how teams build review reminders, contract expiry warnings, and deadline alerts without writing code.